The Story Of Us
by WillowSioui
Summary: Victoria "Tori" Middelton is a normal girl living in a harsh world. She has been raised with the gang, fights with the gang, drinks with the gang, gets into trouble with the gang, but has never truly been one of them because of her being the only girl, but there is one boy who will make her feel like she belongs, and not as if she is what they all are - an Outsider. JohnnyxOC
1. Tori Middelton

She was a well-dressed, mild-mannered old lady, but I knew she had come to tell me that I was going to Hell. I stood to the side of the Tusla Oklahoma Baptist Church, leaning casually against the wall, when she walked over to me like she had a mission. Of course I knew what that particular mission was, since it had been the same every Sunday since I was nine years old. Mrs. Schell, the Pastor's wife, was a small woman, but her blue eyes burned with cold fury every time they turned towards me; taking a long drag off of my cigarette, I match her glare with a pleasant smile that I knew would drive her absolutely wild. She began telling me about what would happen to my soul once I die, and I ignored the majority of it; I scanned over her head for my friend's car, since he was supposed to pick me up from Church nearly an hour ago. Finally spotting the car pull in I flick my cigarette butt away and walk around Mrs. Schell with an easy pat on her head and towards Two-Bit's car. Opening the passenger seat door I hop in, slamming the door behind me and lighting another cigarette up; I turn my green eyes towards my grinning friend and sigh as I hand him a cigarette before he speeds off, leaving a cloud in our wake.

"How was Church? A holy experience?" Rolling my eyes as he chuckled at his own joke, I turn my attention out the open window, sticking my hand out and feeling the air slip past my parted fingers; my cigarette hanging lazily from my full lips. I could lie to him, of course, and tell him that everything had been normal, but you just couldn't lie to Two-Bit.

"Pastor's wife thought it'd be funny to remind me how I'm destined for Hell again." Slamming on the breaks at a red light, Two-Bit looks over at me, his eyebrow cocked.

"No shit. Well, why don't you tell her to go-" He continued on to string together many unmentionable things for Mrs. Schell to do, a wide grin on his face that only grew by the minute, and I tuned him out, focusing on my hand outside the window as the light turns green and Two-Bit speeds away. I know why Mrs. Schell treated me the way she did, I was a Greaser and she was from the nicer areas of town; therefore, I was a hood and a criminal. What she didn't realize was that she was so wrong; I even got angry at Two-Bit when he stole, which is constantly. She thought that because my father left us and my mother got sick that we were cursed, and therefore there must be something wrong with me. Sighing, I throw out the butt of my cigarette and shift in the car seat. I'm used to the way we're treated here on the North side of town, but it sure makes you feel sore every once in a while. Two-Bit screeches to a halt in front of the Curtis house, and we get out. I swing my hip into the car door and is slams shut; looking at the house I smile a sad smile. The Curtis brothers have been living in the house without their parents for some time now, but it hit us all hard; their parents were parents to us all before they died in an accident involving their car and a train. Shuddering as I remember the recovery after their deaths, I turn to follow Two-Bit into the house, where I can hear music being blasted from the radio.

Inside are the best group of people I know, all my family in one way or another. Car-loving Steve Randle is trying to open his beer only using his mouth while Two-Bit flops down behind him laughing. I get picked up from behind and spun around, a laugh of hapiness erupting from my mouth; as I am finally placed down I turn around to smile at the gorgeous Sodapop Curtis as he brushes his golden hair from his face. Darrel Curtis, the oldest Curtis brother, is in the kitchen talking lowly with Dallas Whinston; his muscles ripple from underneath his black teeshirt and I vaguely wonder at how he doesn't rip his shirt off every time he moves. Dallas' cold eyes bore down on him as he drinks his beer, but before I could get curious as to what they're talking about I hear a voice coming from the bathroom.

"How was Church today, Tori?" Shrugging my shoulders I make my way towards the bathroom and lean against the doorframe as I watch Ponyboy Curtis, the youngest brother, grease his hair back.

"It was alright." I lie, not wanting to go over what Mrs. Schell had said, because I knew Ponyboy would ask. He's one of the kids who really cares about everyone, which I appreciate. I'm two years older than his fourteen, so I tend to be protective of him, but as we walk out to the living room together I realize that our roles have started to switch, "Ponyboym have you grown?" Everyone stops what they're doing to look in our direction; I'm looking up slightly at Pony's face, which is weird. My black boots have a near three-inch heel on them, making me stand at five foot seven, as opposed to my five foot four. The house bursts into laughter and Ponyboy is red in the face as the boys all 'compliment' him on his height growth, which I'm nearly positive that they hadn't noticed at all before I had pointed it out to them. I turn around halfway and my eyes land on Johnny Cade, the last of the boys. His round, dark eyes stare at me through a veil of his black bangs, and I smile wide. Johnny grins himself and steps forward, shrugging one shoulder lazily.

"So you have fun at Church then, Victoria?" I giggle softly. Johnny is the only one of four people on this Earth that call me Victoria; Darrel Curtis, my mother, and the nice old man across the hall. My grin falters for a split second before I bring it back up, playing with my mid-back length auburn hair; the soft waves feel nice to the touch, and the ends curl cutely around my fingertips. Johnny reaches forward and takes the hair out of my hand and gently tucks it behind my ear for me, then turns and walks silently to Dally's side. Johnny and I had always been like that; we had always had those moments that, no matter how many people were around us, it was always only just that.

Us.

Well, here's chapter one! I sure hope that you like it, please tell me if Victoria seems too Mary-Sue. I'll be expanding on her character in chapters to come, but here'ss what I have right now. Please enjoy!~

Reviews are always welcome, especially criticism of any kind. I'd appreciate knowing how the characters are specifically, because I'm always worried that I make people out to be too OOC (Out Of Character).

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	2. For The Sake Of Us All

Disclaimer: I totally forgot to do this in chapter one. Oopsie. Well, I own nothing. If I did, I would be keeping them safe, and none of them would have ever had to have gotten hurt. 3

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So, here I was, stuck in between Sodapop and Two-Bit as they play poker with Steve and Dally. I could hardly move, not even enough to take my cigarette from my mouth to ash it, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes as I watched steve try-and fail-to pull a card from his sock in a sneaky manner. Darry gets up tiredly from his armchair and walks towards the back of the house to go to bed, he has to work in the morning, but before he does he pauses to tell Ponyboy not to stay up too late. Turning his ice blue gaze to me, he crosses his arms over his muscular chest, and I suddenly feel uneasy. It's Sunday evening, which means Pony has school in the morning, and I know exactly where Darry is going to go with that look of his. Before he even opens his mouth to speak I know exactly what he is going to say.

"Victoria, I think you should re-enroll in school, you're not going to get anywhere without a good education." I rolls my eyes for the second time that night as the rest of the gang groans. Sometimes Darry and I can fight for hours about me going back to school.

"I would love to, if I wasn't so damned dumb." Everyone hushes as Darry strides over and grasps my arm, pulling me to my feel roughly, and I stumble forward a few steps. Ponyboy is right, Darry is rough with people without meaning to be; but it's only because of how strong he is. I doubt he even knows any better, to tell you the truth. He looks down at me with such a stern expression that I had to do a double-take; I thought he was his father. He couldn't be, though, his father had Soda's brown eyes, while Darry's were so piercing, so cold.

"You're not dumb, you're just slow on the work!" I try to pull my arm from his grasp but sigh in resignation, and shrug my shoulders instead.

"Darry, I'm sixteen years old now. I should be in the eleventh grade, but I'm stuck at grade nine." I look up at him, flipping my auburn hair over my shoulder defiantly, "I'm too stupid for school. And I'm doing just fine working at Patty's Cafe, aren't I?" His eyes soften, but I can see a flash of hurt and disappointment in them before he releases my arm and walks into his room. Everything goes back to the way it was, with everyone loud and drinking and jovial as can be, like they do not have a care in the world. But, it seemed to me, that Darry doesn't have the luxury to kid around. After his parent's death, when he was eighteen, he had to suddenly become to father of two young boys, when there was nobody there for him to run to when he was hurt, or afraid. Tears come to my eyes when I realise how scary it must have been, how alone he must feel; my thoughts are interrupted by Dally tackling me to the ground, my cigarette going flying. I notice absently that Sodapop picks it up and hands it back to Steve while the boys watch me squirm as I try to get away from Dally.

Dally was the only one of us that was a true hood, but at the same time he really wasn't. He had grown up hard, in New York for some time, and had seen things none of the rest of us had. His father never gave about him, either; Dally could be either in jail or dead on the side of a road and his father wouldn't feel a thing. Dally was cold, hard, and mean, but he sure had something underneath that exterior. This showed through when he screwed around with Johnny and me, the only things that he really cared about. Well, at least, that's what I think. There may be something else in his life, but I doubt he'd ever admit it. Ponyboy and Johnny both grab one of Dally's arms and I wriggle out from underneath him, only to hop onto his back, my arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Two-Bit laughs loudly, leaning over so that he's eye-level with Dally, who is running out of oxygen, and he nearly spills his beer.

"Say uncle!" Dally struggles with the arm Pony is grabbing, but manages to flip Two-Bit the bird, which causes him to laugh even harder. After a few more moments, Dally leans down and taps the ground; Pony, Johnny and I all get off of him simultaniously, to watch him attempt to catch his breath as he cusses us out. Slowly he stands, to the enjoyment of the guys, and jumps forward, arms outstretched for me; I dart out of reach and race out the door and over the fence at the front of the house, continuing down the street. I can hear a bunch of people running after me, and the adrenaline boosts through me, causing me to run faster than ever before. The wind rushes by me and a smile plasters itself onto my face as I hit the vacant lot, where I look to my left to see Ponyboy running, easily matching my speed, and making it look easy; I let out a hapy laugh and try to run faster, but Ponyboy jumps at me and tackles me to the ground. I end up out of breath on my back with my wrists pinned beside my head by Ponyboy, who is straddling me. I throw him a playful glare, seeing how he is not nearly out of breath; the rest of the boys catch up with us soon after. Two-Bit falls onto the ground heavily and pulls a beer from his jacket, opening it and laughing as it sprays all over him. Steve flops onto the ground, a small dust cloud coming up from where he had fallen, and Soda sits easily beside him; Dally and Johnny sit to my left, leaning against a huge old log.

We all stay in the vacant lot for some time before Soda brings Pony home, and Two-Bit offers to drive Steve and Dally to Buck Merril's place, his rodeo partner. Johnny and I stay in the lot together, our backs to the log and out shoulders touching. I let out a sigh and shift my body down a bit, leaning my head on his shoulder; the night was so beautiful, so many stars twinkling high in the sky-

"Victoria?" I snap my attention away from the stars to instead stare in the deep abyss that was Johnny's eyes, a small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. Johnny had been described as a puppy lost in the crowd that had been kicked too many times, but I really think there's something else there. It's almost as if he's lost all the time, and wanting some way to escape; even his eyes are dark. Did this boy ever really see the light? I reach up without thinking and gingerly touch my fingertips to the scar on his cheek that he had aquired the night when he was beaten senseless by the Socs; one of them was wearing a ring, and had cut him up pretty badly. When we found him in the lot, crying, only half-conscious, I couldn't help but cry as well. Johnny was everything that was good to the gang, he was everything to me. Who could hurt somebody so good? After that, Johnny's been afraid of his own shadow...I hate the Socs, and I don't hate many things. Soc. Social. The rich, upper-class kids that think they are so much better than us. How can they be better, when they beat kids like Johnny half to death? What's so good about that? I shake my head to rid myself of my thoughts and notice that a small blush is dusting Johnny's cheeks, and my grin widens into a dimpled smile.

"What's up, Johnnycake?" Johnny looks down and shrugs his shoulders, but one of his arms comes up around my shoulders and he pulls me to his chest. I would have been surprised, if I hadn't been used to it. Sometimes Johnny and I slept out here, in the cool night air, with only ourselves to keep each other warm. My eyelids close slowly and I drift off into a deep sleep with thoughts of when Johnny was livlier. Maybe I'll get him like that again. Yeah, that's what I'll do. I'll get Johnny back. For the sake of us all.

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Review, please. How are the characters? 


	3. Today

Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders. If I did, I would be keeping them safe, and none of them would ever have gotten hurt.

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The rays of the sun beats down on Dally, Johnny and I as we lean against Two-Bit's car in the front of the school, waiting for the bell to ring. I sneak a look at Johnny, who has his chin tucked close to his chest as he tries to hide from the glares of passing Socs. A pang of guilt washes over me, and I turn to glare right back at the Socs with everything I have. I even flick my cigarette butt at them. Since he was beaten by a couple of Socs a little while ago, Johnny had been completely different. I mean, he was always quiet like Ponyboy, but he had never been so afraid of everything, and it bugged me something fierce to see him like this. He got regular beatings at home from his mother, but they never seemed to bother him too much because he was so used to them. But this one, they had beaten him half to death and now he was afraid of his own shadow; he could hardly look anybody in the eyes, I light up another cigarette, and Dally looks at me with a faintly amused expression.

"Since when do you chain smoke, Tori?" I can feel my face flush as Johnny turns to look at me as well, and I shrug my shoulders, turning my head away in embarrassment.

"That ain't any of your business, Dallas Whinston." I shiver because I know that his eyes are burning. Dally isn't one to be denied anything, not even an explanation. I'd known him since I was young, everyone had, but when he came back from New York…he wasn't the same Dally that we had once known. The gang had always just been a group of real close friends, but Dally is a real hood. He'll do anything, he'll try anything, and the laws seemed to not mean anything to him. When he went to New York he was like the rest of us; when he came back he was a hard, cold, uncaring hood that scared me when he got angry. But I knew, deep down, that there was still something good left in him. There had to be. Looking up as the lunch bell rings, I sigh and watch as Two-Bit bounces out of the front doors; he must have ran out of his class or something. He bounds over to us and I can see Ponyboy walking calmly behind him, and then suddenly my view of the world changes as Two-Bit picks me up and hauls me over his shoulder. I let out a scream that turns into a laugh as he spins me around and around, and I can hear the guys laughing at the sight. After what seems like forever, Two-Bit drops me and I stumble into Johnny, half turning with a mumbled apology. A ghost of a smile graces his lips as he helps to steady me on my feet, and I step back once I can stand properly; lighting up another cigarette, I look at Ponyboy.

"Pony, why the hell does Darry always holler at me to go back to school? Soda ain't in school no more!" Ponyboy shrugs his shoulders as he lights up a cigarette that Dally had passed him.

"They do talk about it a lot, but Soda's happier the way he is. Plus, you're younger than him, so Darry probably thinks you have a better chance getting back in." I snort, blowing the cigarette smoke out through my flared nostrils.

"I'm only seven months younger than him!" The guys laugh, but Ponyboy just gives me a look like he understands what I mean. Darry hollers at him, too, but only because he cares about him; I don't think Pony realizes that, though. My mind wanders as the boys talk, and I lean against the car beside Johnny, passing him the rest of my cigarette. I've known the gang since I was born, so they were family to me. My momma had always had Mr. and Mrs. Curtis over, and vice versa. I grew up with the Curtis brothers as my own, especially after my father left; Mr. Curtis was basically a father to me after that point, his wife a second mother. My older brother, Tommy, had gone to school with Darry, and they were the best of friends. It killed my brother just as much as the Curtis' when their parents died, and he got angry, real angry. When he got in trouble last year for shooting a store clerk because they gave him the wrong brand of cigarettes, he was told that he could either go to jail or be drafted to fight in Vietnam; he chose to fight overseas. I still write him sometimes, but I can't stop thinking that someday I'll get a knock on my door like poor young Miss Vanner, telling me that he'd died. Now she's left taking care of three kids all on her lonesome. Young Miss Vanner is only twenty-three years old. I feel a soft poke in my side and snap out of my reverie, looking up to see Johnny waving his hand in front of my face.

"You zoned out a bit there, Victoria. It's nearly one; you got to go to work." Looking around in confusion I notice that there are no students around, I guess lunch has ended. Picking up my uniform, I turn and wave at Dally and Johnny before jogging down the street toward the diner that I'm a waitress for. Ms. Patty is a rather large, older woman with the kindest heart, and she reminds me a lot of Two-Bit's mom. I rush into the diner and into the back, quickly pulling off my jeans and shirt; I pull on the cherry red pencil skirt and the black halter shirt, tucking the hem into the skirt before zipping it up. I pull on my pair of black pumps and throw my hair up into a bun, tying a black bandanna with red polka dots around my head, twisting it so that it looks like a headband. Jogging into the front, I walk to the door calmly and take the customers to their seat and taking their drink orders. Walking over to the bar, I make their drinks and then place them on a tray, grab a few menus and walk back other, giving everyone their orders and then supplying them with the menus. And here is the next eight hours of my day. I just hope that it doesn't rain tonight…

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Please tell me what you think! This is a bit OC-central, but it's setting some plot up for the beginning. Constructive criticism is welcome, but no flames please.


	4. Memories For Dreams

Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders. If I did, I would be keeping them safe, and none of them would have gotten hurt.  
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It started to pour as soon as my shift ended. I had stayed an extra two hours while we waited for my replacement to come, and now I am stuck trying to make my way through town without getting soaked to the bone; this is not working at all. My auburn hair is plastered to my face and neck, my clothing tight against my skin as the rain soaks through it. Reaching the vacant lot, I notice a figure sleeping with newspaper covering it and I smile softly and make my way over. Leaning over, I push gently on Johnny s shoulder, causing him to roll over and blink his eyes open; I must have looked a right mess, with my hair wet and stringy, my mascara probably smudging, my nose red from the cold. Either way, Johnny smiles at me and sits up. I extend my hand to him and chuckle as he blinks in confusion.  
You re not staying out here, Johnnycake, I m taking you home with me. Taking his hand, I hoist Johnny up and we start to walk briskly in the direction of my house. Flipping his jeans jacket s collar up to try and ward off some of the rain, Johnny hunches and sticks his hands in his pockets, then looks my way.  
Do you have nuff space, Victoria? I shrug my shoulders as we round a corner, the rain blasting at us from the direct front.  
I always have enough space for you boys, no worrying now. We make the rest of the way down the street and run up to my little house, where I open the door and walk inside, Johnny following and closing the door behind him softly. I kick off my boots and pad over to the bathroom, where I strip and dry myself off, wrapping a towel around my body and stepping out. Johnny s eyes grow wide as saucers as he sees me, then he ducks his head as a flush creeps up his neck. Motioning behind me as I move down the hall towards my room, I look over my shoulder at him.  
You re turn. I ll leave some of my brothers clothes on this side of the door for ya when you get out. Reaching the end of the hall, I go into my room and slip on a pair of my brothers sweats from when he was eleven, they fit me, and a plaid button-up shirt that I borrowed from Sodapop and always forgot to give back. Crossing the hallway from my room, I reach the room that belonged to Tommy. I don t really go in this room often, since I m afraid I ll start to cry, but I enter and go through his closet for something small enough to fit Johnny. Finally finding some jeans and a tee shirt, I walk back down the hallway and place the clothes on the ground, then knock on the door.  
The clothes are out here now, I ll be in the kitchen. I hear a mumbled okay , and as I go towards the kitchen I hear a familiar voice yell a hey through the doorway before the door closes. Peeking my head I notice Dally walking over, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Leaning against the counter while I cross my arms across my chest, I cock an eyebrow at Dally.

"Got kicked out of Buck's or something?" Shrugging his shoulders, Dally walks over to me and lights the cigarette, then looks down with an amused expression.

"Ain't that Soda's?" I ignore the question and look up as Johnny walks out from the bathroom dressed in my brothers clothes. Taking the few steps over to him, I throw my arms around Johnny and bury my face in his chest, drawing in a deep breath. I guess he understands, 'cuz he ain't moving away from me, but I really needed to pretend I was hugging my brother for a moment. Taking a step back I force my usual smile onto my face, tucking my hair behind my ears.

"Alright, it's late and I'm going to get some sleep. You guys do what you want, but try not to stay up too late, okay?" I see Johnny nod, and I know Dally will do whatever he wants anyway, so I walk down the hallway and to my bedroom, where as soon as I flop onto the matress, I fall into a deep sleep with memories for dreams.

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I sure hope this is good...:/  



	5. Early Morning Sunshine

Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Outsiders'

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The sunlight streams through the window and across my face, causing me to groan and roll over. Birds are chirping noisily outside, and I suddenly wished I own a heater so that I could kill them all. Sliding out of my bed, I groggily make my way out of my room and down the hallway, toward the kitchen; I notice that there is a rather appetizing smell coming from that direction. Shuffling into the kitchen, I notice Johnny kicking the fridge door shut as he places the finishing touches on a duo of plates filled with breakfast foods. Walking behind Johnny, I watch him curiously as he sets down a glass of juice, and I cough softly; Johnny spins around and stares at me with wide eyes, a light blush dusting his cheeks. Leaning on the kitchen doorframe, a small smile crosses my lips.

"Johnnycake, are you making me breakfast?" Shrugging his shoulders, Johnny grins himself, flicking his head to the side to get his bangs out of his face.

"Yeah; I thought I'd blame it on Dallas just to see you're reaction, but you woke up early." A laughter erupts from my throat, causing Johnny to smile a bit wider as I try to imagine Dally cooking. Taking a few steps closer to me, Johnny reaches out and starts fixing my hair; sighing, I guess it's a lot messier than usual this morning if he felt the need to fix it. Looking up, I notice that Johnny is quite a bit taller than me now, he's around Ponyboy's height; I sigh, resting my head against his chest.

"You're too tall now, Johnnycake." Johnny's chest rumbles as he chuckles, and I can feel his lips pressing a kiss on the top of my head as his arms wrap around me. Turning my face up, I blush at the intensity of Johnny's gaze, and I can feel his heartbeat speed up through our embrace. His face slowly lowers down, and I feel myself standing on my tip-toes; our lips brush against each other's, and Johnny's arm tightens around my waist, pulling me closer. His other hand moves to the back of my neck, tilting my face up more, and he applies pressure to our kiss. My hands grasp the front of his shirt as my eyes slide closed; I let Johnny take over, and my heart does flips as his tongue traces my bottom lip. Opening my mouth and letting him in, Johnny backs me into the wall by the doorway; our kiss intensifies, only to be rudely interrupted by an amused cough. Johnny pulls away from me and looks away, and my face heats up as I spot Dallas and Sodapop grinning at us like the Cheshire Cat. Dallas makes his way towards the untouched food, but Soda looks at me knowingly, then motions for me to follow him to the back porch; I comply, and when we get there I light up a cigarette. Turning his chocolate gaze towards me, Soda shakes his head slowly.

"I didn't know you guys were together..." Letting out a sigh, I take a drag of my cigarette.

"We aren't...at least, we weren't..." Looking down at my hands, I sigh once again. If they hadn't of interrupted, maybe Johnny and I could have figured it out. Soda drapes his arms around my shoulders and hugs me tightly before releasing and standing up and entering my house. Listening intensely, I hear the front door open and close, and yet another sigh escapes my lips; someone sits beside me and I know immediately that it is Johnny. I put out my cigarette and look at him with a shy smile; Johnny smiles back and tucks my hair behind my ears, his hands lingering as they cup my cheeks. I feel myself get lost in his black eyes, and he smirks at me before he speaks.

"Victoria, will you be my girl?" My stomach does flops as I nod my head, and Johnny smiles before leaning in and pressing his soft lips to mine. As we kiss in the early morning sunshine on the steps of my back porch, I can't help but think...

Today is going to be a wonderful day.

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Is this good, or is it going too fast? Please let me know~~~! 


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